Day 151: Memorial Day

Today is Memorial Day. Dave is off work. He hung up the flag this morning. We didn't go out anywhere as we had a busy day yesterday, just had a nice relaxing day at home. Edward slept much better last night, but still doesn't have much appetite.

Day 150: Denny's!

Today has been an eventful day. Edward has had a couple of restless nights, and last night he was very bad. I noticed he was pulling at his ear a lot, so I thought he might have an ear infection. I gave him some pain medicine and he finally went back to sleep. I decided he should see the doctor, so I made an appointment for him at 11.30. I was reading at the 12.00 mass today though, so Dave had to take him on his own. I took Elizabeth with me. Dave made it just in time for the start though. I was right, Edward does have an ear infection. He's on antibiotics now, and already more himself, although he still has no appetite.

So even though he was sick, we went out this afternoon. I have been wanting to get a double stroller for a while now, as the kids are getting too big to both squeeze into the single one we have, but they both still like to ride in it. I had a coupon for 20% off at Babies R Us this weekend, so we went to our local one yesterday to see if we could fine one we liked. We did, but they didn't have it in stock, so they called a store in San Jose and put one on hold for us. So today we drove out there to pick it up. While we were there we went next door to Toy R Us and let Elizabeth pick out some toys for her birthday. She got a bit upset that she couldn't have them right away, so we went to Goodwill so she could get something cheap. We were all hungry afterward, and usually we would just go to McDonald's, but Dave suggested we go to Denny's instead. We haven't been there for ages. We used to go a lot when we were in Pittsburgh. So we went to the Sunnyvale one, and it was really nice. The kids didn't eat much, especially Edward, but Dave and I enjoyed it!

Day 149: MOMS tea date

Today I met up with my MOMS church group for a date at the English Rose Tea Shop. It was really nice. We chatted about all kinds of things, and got to try a couple of different teas and a huge assortment of snacks. It was good to see all the moms again. We scheduled to have another pot luck dinner next weekend too.

Day 148: At least it's not raining

Well the crazy weather continues. It's been partly sunny today, and has stayed dry, and has even been a nice temperature. I REALLY hope this is a sign that the rain is behind us. Although I think Mum will be a bit upset if the weather improves just after she went home!

Day 147: Last day of school

So today was finally the last day of school. The weather didn't really cooperate. We took the kids to school in their swimsuits, and the sun came out for a little bit so they put the inflatable slide up. But by the time the kids got on it, it was starting to rain again. It was quite cold too, so they only stayed outside about 10 minutes. Then they went back inside, changed into dry clothes and watched a Veggie Tales movie. I wasn't looking forward to picking Elizabeth up at the end of class, but it wasn't quite as bad as I thought it would be. It was hard saying goodbye to everyone, but we are planning lots of summer play dates. I got a bit emotional when I said goodbye to Ms Kristin. I wanted to tell her how much I appreciate everything she's done for Elizabeth, but I could feel the tears coming so I just gave her a big hug and said thank you. I think it helps that I know we will be back there in the fall, albeit with a new class and a new teacher. I know we will get to see Ms Kristin around, and I plan to make an effort to keep in touch with Elizabeth's closest friends. She'll also have two of her classmates in her new class next year, Max and Savanna, so that will be nice too.

Day 146: Kindness

Today was the penultimate day of school, and they had a celebration the last 45 minutes of class. All the parents sat in rows in the chairs, and the children performed a song with inflatable air guitars! I think it's called My Father's House. They did a great job, and I got it all on video. Then they each had to go and stand with Ms Kristin one at a time while she told us the character trait she thought best described them, and gave them an award. Elizabeth got the character award for kindness. I got that on video too. They also received a little wooden treasure box with the school logo on to remind them of the school, and that Jesus is always with them. Then they each received a folder of some of their artwork that Ms Kristin had saved, and a little book of photographs from the year. It was all very sweet and quite emotional, but most of us managed to hold it together! Tomorrow will be harder though.

Day 145: Goodbye Mum!

After three whirlwind weeks it was time to say goodbye to Mum today. We dropped her off at the airport before school. It was crazy busy at the airport so we didn't have much time to say goodbye, but that was probably for the best. Also, it was raining, so we didn't want to hang around long! Mum bought little gifts for the kids to open in the car after she left. Elizabeth got a Barbie and Edward got a monster truck. Elizabeth said "A Barbie! Just like Lindsay!", and Edward said "Wow! Brum brum!". So I think it's safe to say they were both pleased with their gifts. Elizabeth took her doll to school. We had to stop and get her raincoat on the way to school from the airport, as it was raining so hard. The weather this month has just been crazy. We should be well into the 80s most days now, but we've had very few nice days, and lots of rain and cold temperatures! It's very odd. I hope it clears up for Thursday, as they are supposed to be having a water play day at school for the last day.

Day 144: Last co-op in the Monkey class

Today was my last day co-oping in Elizabeth's current class. It was a pretty normal day, but I took my camera in and took lots of pictures of them. It's going to be a sad week, and Thursday, the last day, is going to be a very sad day.

Day 143: Space Hopper

Mum and I went shopping again today, so I could trade in my DS games, and we took Elizabeth with us so Dave could have some quiet time while Edward was sleeping. We went to TJ Maxx just for a look, and found this Scooby Do space hopper, so mum got it for Elizabeth for an early birthday present. She LOVES it! She's been hopping all over the house all afternoon, and keeps saying how much she loves it. The only trouble is Edward loves it too, so I think we'll have to go back tomorrow to see if we can get one for him too.

Day 142: Super Sale

Mum and I went shopping at the mall again today. The main reason we went was because I had a coupon to spend, but I forgot to take it with me! I was also going to trade in some of my DS games, but I forgot to take them in too. We had a few other things to do, so we started walking through JC Penney to go into the mall, then we noticed they were having an 80% off sale, so we decided to check it out. We both ended up getting several things. I got these five tops for a total of $25, and saved $135! Now that's the kind of sale I like. I only wish I'd had my coupon with me, I could have saved another 15%!

Day 141: Bacon chocolate. SO wrong.

Elizabeth is doing much better today, her fever is down to 101, and she is much more lively. So we took a drive up to the Whole Foods Store to get a few things for mum. We got some more of this bacon chocolate that we spotted a couple of weeks ago. I finally got up the courage to try it today, and it was not good! There were bits of bacon in the chocolate, and they still tasted like salty bacon, which in my view does NOT go with chocolate. I only managed one tiny bite, and that almost made me gag! The other bars are for mum to take home for dad, Pete and Andy to try!

Day 140: Sick again :(

Elizabeth is definitely sick now. She had a pretty rough night with lots of coughing. I woke up at about 7 this morning and heard her coughing and wheezing in the bathroom so I got up. She was very worked up and was having trouble breathing, so I stood her in front of the freezer and helped her breath in some cold air until she calmed down. She eventually went back to sleep on the couch, but when we checked her temperature it was 103. So I called the doctor's office as soon as it opened at 8, and made an appointment for her at 9. Dave had to get to work so I woke mum up to watch Edward. By the time we saw the doctor her temperature was down to normal from the Tylenol I had given her, but she said her headache and sore throat were back, and said her tummy hurt. The doctor checked her ears, throat, lungs and tummy, and did a Strep test. It was all normal, so the diagnosis was she most likely has a virus. We just have to watch her, and if the temperature doesn't go down by Sunday we should take her back in. Because of the high fever the doctor said she might be contagious, so she couldn't go to Lindsay's birthday party or the bike day at school. She was very upset about missing the party, but I told her we could have Lindsay over for a play date when she was better, and we could make her a birthday cake. She's been quiet the rest of the day, but she has eaten a little. We'll have to see how it goes.

Day 139: New bicycle helmet

Elizabeth seemed much better this morning, so I let her go to school. She's still a bit hoarse, but no fever or headache or sore throat. She has been tired though. We had to go out today to buy her a new bicycle helmet as they are having a bike day at school tomorrow, and she fell asleep in the car on the way home. I really hope she is okay tomorrow, as she also has Lindsay's birthday party tomorrow.

Day 138: Mommy's little helpers

Elizabeth does have a cold or something. She had a fever again this morning, plus a headache and a sore throat, so I kept her home from school. She's been in good spirits though. I let them both help me and mum make some more vegan chocolate mousse this afternoon. The making part went well. but them I let them lick out the bowl afterward, and they got it everywhere! This picture doesn't do justice to the mess they were in - it was in their hair, up their arms, and all over their clothes. I ended up just putting them in the bath, even though they had already had one this morning!

Day 137: Chicken soup will fix you

I think Elizabeth is getting a cold. She's been a bit hoarse today, and her teacher said she was quieter than normal at school. We had to go out after school to buy her friend Lindsay a birthday present for her party on Thursday, and she fell asleep in the shopping cart. She took a nap when we got home, and when she woke up she had a bit of a fever. She finally ate some ice-cream, and then later agreed to eat some chicken noodle soup (or spaghetti soup as she calls it), so hopefully she'll be feeling better tomorrow.

Day 136: Uninvited passenger

I spotted this little (or not so little!) guy hanging out in the corner of the windshield as we drove home from church. Fortunately he stayed where he was until we stopped and I was able to evacuate him (after taking a quick picture).

Day 135: All shopped out

Today we drove down to Silicon Valley to do some Goodwill shopping. We like to make the trip there as the stores there always seem to have better stuff than our local one. We went to Cupertino, Mountain View, and Sunnyvale. We used to live in Sunnyvale so we know the area well. We all got quite a few goodies. I got a top, a belt, and several tops and videos and toys for the kids. Both the kids slept all the way home.

Day 134: Preschool carnival

This evening we went to a carnival at Elizabeth's preschool. They had some bounce houses, lots of games, pony rides and a petting zoo. Both the kids had a great time. They both really enjoyed the pony rides and the petting zoo. It was Edward's first pony ride!

Day 133: Praising God in Chapel

My daughter had Chapel at school today. It was the last one before their big end of year celebration. They talked about all the things they've learned about Jesus over the year. Elizabeth was very talkative for some reason, asking lots of questions and pointing things out! I don't always go to Chapel, but since mum is here and I didn't have to wake Edward up, I went to the last one. I took several pictures. In this one they are singing a song about Jesus and having lots of fun.

Day 132: Cat Fight

I had to take my cat to the vet today. She was outside all night because she wouldn't come in when I called her. Today she was very quiet, and kept hiding behind the couch. When I tried to get her out she crawled UNDER the couch! Then my mum told me she thought she heard a cat fight or something during the night. So I tipped the couch up to get Kishka out, but when I picked her up she cried, and I could tell she was hurt. So I immediately called the vet to make an appointment and took her in as soon as I'd picked Elizabeth up from school. The vet found several bites on her, and also some dark fur caught in her claws, so it looks like she at least fought back! They shaved her fur around the wounds so they could clean them, and gave me some antibiotics to give her for 10 days. I also have to try and clean the wounds with warm water for a couple of days, and keep her in for a week. She should be fine though. She's been back under the couch since we got back home, but hopefully she'll be feeling better tomorrow.

Day 131: Someone just woke up

Me and my son after he just woke up from his nap. I've just realized that a few of the pictures I've posted this month weren't actually taken by me. But there were taken with my camera, and I'm in them, so I think they still count! I'll try to avoid that in future though.

Day 130: Homemade Vegan Chocolate Mousse

Today Mum and I made vegan chocolate mousse. I found a recipe online, and it was very simple to make. Melt some chocolate, then mix it with chocolate soy milk, tofu and vanilla extract in a blender. Then chill for a couple of hours. It tasted really good, you would never know it was vegan and had tofu in it! We're going to try vegan chocolate pudding next.

Day 129: Happy Mother's Day!

Today is Mother's Day. We had a very low key celebration. When I got up in the morning there was a banner hanging in the playroom, and I had two homemade cards, one handwritten by Elizabeth. I didn't get any presents but I spent a lot of money on clothes, shoes, books, DS games and jewelry for myself in the last couple of days, so that was fine. In the morning we went to church, and we were asked to take the gifts (the bread and wine) up to the altar as a family during mass, which was nice. We also had a special blessing for mothers. In the afternoon, after Edward's nap we took some photos in the backyard, then we went shopping. So a nice relaxing day spent with the people who mean the most to me. As Mother's Day in England in is March, not May, I didn't do anything special for mum, but I did get her a card.

Day 128: Computer screen in macro.

This is a macro shot of my laptop screen. I was out in the backyard taking pictures when I had to bring my daughter in to go to the bathroom. As I passed my computer I noticed my sister was online, so I stopped to have a chat with her. I still had my camera with me, so I took a few macro shots of the computer while I was waiting for her to reply to me. Something a little different. So now I am looking at a picture of my computer screen, on my computer screen!

Day 127: Here at last!

My Mum was supposed to arrive for a visit on April 18th, but her flight was canceled because of the Icelandic volcano eruption. She finally arrived 3 days ago on May 4th, and will be here for three weeks. Elizabeth was so excited when she arrived! She didn't stop talking or running around all afternoon! It took Edward a little longer to warm up to her, but he's also very happy to have her here now. I took this picture during a trip to our local Whole Foods Market so we could stock up on vegan food for mum. We got some chocolate and I'm going to try and find a recipe for vegan chocolate mousse online. We also went to Borders and I got four new books on photography, two of which are from mum and dad for my birthday.

Day 126: Mommy & Me Tea

In honor of Mother's Day on Sunday, my daughter's class had a Mommy & Me Tea at school today (yes I know, lots of school posts this week). We gathered in the chapel, then the kids came in with a rose for each of us, and when she gave it to me Elizabeth said "Happy Mother's Day, I love you Mommy". Then we all watched a slide show of pictures of the kids taken throughout the past school year. I had a tear in my eye at the end! After that we went back to the classroom and had tea. We all had a framed picture of our child waiting for us, and a questionnaire they completed about us (what is your mom's name, how old is she (7!), what is her favorite food, etc etc). It was very amusing and cute! Then they served us our tea, and it was a lovely event.

Day 125: Rocking Chair Reader

This is my daughter reading a story to her class. It's called Rocking Chair Reader (they usually sit in a rocking chair to read the story), and each child gets the chance to do it a couple of times during the school year. She read Nemo, and she did really well. She was very animated, doing different voices, and put a lot of effort into it! She seemed to really enjoy it too, she wasn't shy or nervous about it.

Day 124: Teacher Appreciation Day

Today is Teacher Appreciation Day, and the kids had lots of surprises for their teacher, Ms Kristin. First, they all brought a flower to school for her. Then one of the other moms had t-shirts made for them all to wear which said "I Love My (picture of monkey) Class. Their class is called the Monkey Class. The same mom had also organized a slide show of pictures of Ms Kristin and the children over the past year, and also recorded each of them saying something about her. I couldn't hear everything Elizabeth said, but it ended with a big "I love you Ms Kristin!". It was so adorable. She is a wonderful teacher. We really couldn't have asked for a better teacher for Elizabeth's first year at school. She loves her so much. Her next teacher is going to have a lot to live up to!

Day 123: Double Headed Tulip

It's Teacher Appreciation Day tomorrow, and all the kids are taking a flower in for their teacher. These are the ones Elizabeth selected from the store today. When I was putting them in the vase, I noticed one of them was double-headed. I never saw anything like that before! I really like the color of them too.

Day 122: Elizabeth in paint

Elizabeth did this life-size painting of herself at school a few months ago. All the kids did one and the teacher had them up on the walls of the classroom. She just brought it home a couple of weeks ago. This was an emergency photograph, taken at the last minute when I remembered I hadn't taken a picture yet today! But I had been planning on taking a picture of this anyway :)

Day 121: Knights of Columbus Cinco de Mayo party

This evening we went to a Cinco de Mayo party organized by the Knights of Columbus, which my husband is a member of. He spent most of the afternoon helping them get the food ready. The party was fun. There were tacos and drinks, and a pinata for the kids. Elizabeth had a lot of fun with that. I was pleased to finally figure out how my flash works and get a well-lit photo of the whole room!